Biking to and From the Grocery Store
 

I know there has been a previous posting asking about transporting grocery bags on bike back from the grocery store but I have a different kind of question.

Do the panniers that people use for grocery bags really work that well? I have found that they just don't do the trick for me.

I was just wondering if anyone knows of a permanent kind of grocery bag that simply clicks/fastens right onto a bike rack? / Do you think that would work?

Thanks!

How do panniers not work well? Specifically, what problem are you trying to solve with them?

My panniers broke. They were a bad design. For groceries lately, I've been getting them in plastic bags, and then using a clip (below) to attach the bags to the rack. Each handle goes around a beam on the rack, and then the ends get clipped together. Then it hangs down like a pannier would. It's not ideal, but it's working for now.

http://www.onesmallstep.com/46-97-la...E10PO8gkB_.jpg

Mt Detours Toto panniers seem to do the job. I clip them to the side of my grocery cart, and load them up as I walk through the store. This keeps me from accidentally buying more than I can transport. I then empty them onto the belt at checkout, and have the bagger fill them right back up. I carry them out to my bike via the shoulder straps, and clip them onto my rack. And if you get caught in the rain, they come with rain covers.

The only real downside is that each pannier only holds about the volume of a single grocery bag. but if you're looking for an all-in-one solution, there isn't much way around that.

http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/y...0824101101.jpg

I often use my 42 litre panniers for shopping as they are a single pocket design and do just what AGG does... clip them to the cart and fill them so I know my limit.

I have a good number of re-useable grocery bags that I use for larger shopping trips and the most convenient method for this is to take my trailer which can carry enough groceries for weeks.

Living centrally helps and I am very close to many nice stores so a few small trips a week is not a big deal.

Thanks for the responses! My problem with the panniers was that I found that sometimes my groceries are damaged and sometimes the panniers themselves fall off because of bad clips or fastening systems.

I was just wondering if you think it would be beneficial to have a bag like a pannier that clicks in and fastens (not just straps or a clip) securely to the rack for groceries? Thoughts?

I don't understand. How much do you need to buy for a week? I buy very little.

I'd consider this if it weren't so pricey. Might get it anyways, for that matter :)

.
So simple, yet so ingenious...
I've only over-bought once though.

For a time I frequented a grocer that let me walk my bike through the store so I did not even have to clip my bags to the cart... bulky stuff can get strapped to the top of the rack and I have another option as I can use my extra bike which can carry 6 full sized panniers and has 3 times as much deck space.

The trailer is quicker and easier but is too hard to pull in the winter so this is when the extra bike really becomes valuable as it will carry a few hundred pounds and is extremely stable. It has a set of bags that are permanently affixed so keep re-usable shopping bags in these.

I often shop with panniers: groceries, drinks, beer, even carried bouquet of flowers and potted plants, plus computer and bike parts, etc. If it fits in a shopping bag, it should be no problem putting it in a pannier. But the panniers should be strong and have stable and reliable attachment system. But my wife shops with cheap $25 Nashbar panniers just fine.

How exactly they're not working out for you? Too difficult to load/unload?

There are panniers made specifically for shopping, such as Axiom shopper bags.

I clip the panniers to the sides of the shopping cart and fill them up as I shop too. For a family of 4, its pretty easy to max out 2 of them.

A typical shopping trip looks like this... :)

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/2011basil1.JPG

Genius! I usually just try to remember how much space I have and it usually works out (sometimes I pack every last cubic inch of each bag and then realize I haven't packed my lock or my wallet or something...).

I have a milk crate attached to my rack. I can haul almost a weeks worth of groceries in it. Just make sure you keep the bread on top and/or tie the handles so items don't fall out the bags.

+1 to all this - panniers, trailer depending on size of shopping, live centrally. One addition - my wife rides a cruiser bike with WALD folding baskets on it - the baskets each hold a full, reusable grocery bag, so this works for small trips too.....

I like the Topeak folding basket that clips onto their rack.

Having seen these, they are a nice, funtional option, but they do appear a touch pricey. They are quite well made and thought out though.

When I was looking for grocery style bags for my bike, I came very close to buying the Arkel bags. They cost more than the MEC bags but are a lot nicer. In the end I decided not to buy the bags but bought the Burley Travoy trailer with the optional shopping bags. I can wheel the trailer into the store like a shopping buggy which is an added bonus. Certainly cost more than the bags but was more versatile for me. Though I like Seattle Forest's idea of the clips and plastic shopping bags, that is a cost effective solution.

My solution to not purchasing too much was to use a hand basket. That limited the amount that I could comfortably carry.

As far ans the packing it on the bie part. I always ask for paper bags and I use a wald rack. The paper bags fit perfectly into the rack.

I use a pair of REI shopping panniers for grocery getting, office supplies, and laundry. I don't like the hooks that just hang over the top of the rack but the spring and hook at the bottom seems to hold well. Once I nearly kicked a pannier off with my heel but fortunately only one hook at the top popped off the rack. But all in all it was a very well spent $40 with shipping. I use them at least 4-5 times a week for assorted errands and definitely for hauling home groceries. I also hang them in the grocery cart to make sure I don't carry too much home. I have a handlebar basket that carries bread or eggs or delicate fruit -- very handy.

In the future I want to buy a trailer to bring home bigger items like large bags of flour, gardening supplies, and bulky stuff like toilet paper.

I get paid for using my Qrtlieb roller closure panniers
a nickel at a time,
[The store's bags not used credit]
by bringing them to put my groceries in
even when I'm not riding there and hanging them
(secure hooks), on my bike.

Pannier shopping bags are made by carradice, Basil, and several other good brands.
The shopper style of pannier is a simple design with one large compartment and plenty of capacity for overloading at the top. A good touring pannier can serve a similar role.
If your panniers are bouncing off when fully loaded that is because they are not very good. A modern pannier mount has a rail , a couple of sliding hooks which support the weight, a rotating lock mechanism and an anti-sway hook at the base.
Any mount without locks, where the hooks (unlocked) cannot support the weight, or where the lower mount has elasticated hooks or velcro is of the old fashioned variety.

My MEC panniers have served me very well for over 5 years and have never come off, and I used to take them off road and on single track as well as using them for carrying everything else under the sun.

I have 4 sets of MEC panniers; have their touring bags as well as two smaller sets for when I want to travel light.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=203651

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but it's a Trolley Tote Folding Basket made by Topeak. You use it like a regular shopping trolley and just clip it onto the rack for the ride home. It can hold quite a lot of stuff and folds for storage.

Go here for more information: http://www.topeak.com/products/baskets/TrolleyTote

I started using M-Wave double day trippers, and when those got stolen I moved up to the M-Wave 3 piece traveler (the former probably more suited for groceries and what I'll discuss). The two bags were connected in the center and draped over the rack, with side straps strapping to the rack for security of movement. The double day trippers just had "lids" that swung open with one huge, semi-rigid pocket. Just about perfect for one or two paper bags in each (with the lids open) and maybe some plastic bags. I was happy with them. $25 is hard to beat.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...8L._SS500_.jpg

The new 3 piece travelers I like a lot too, and they also work well for groceries, but they are more general purpose, and slightly less suited to groceries. I probably can fit just as much, but I have to distribute among pockets.